Heater

ABSTRACT

A heater includes a lower supporting unit, an upper supporting unit and a burner. The upper supporting unit includes pillars and two end elements. Each of the end elements includes a disc connected to an end of each of the pillars, positioning recesses for receiving and hence positioning the ends of the pillars, and at least one aperture. The lower supporting unit is connected to the disc of one of the end elements. The burner is connected to the disc of the remaining end element and includes a fuel pipe extending throughout the apertures of the end elements.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a heater and, more particularly, to a stable heater.

2. Related Prior Art

A conventional outdoor heater includes a base, a tube supported on the base, and a burner supported on the tube. The heater could easily fall because the burner is heavy, the tube is long, and the base is small. A catastrophe could happen when the heater falls. Moreover, the heater includes many components, particularly in the base and the tube. The cost of materials is high because a lot of materials are purchased and stored. The cost in assembly is high because a lot of labor is required to assemble the heater with complicated equipment in a complicated process.

The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in prior art.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide a reliable and inexpensive heater.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the hater includes a lower supporting unit, an upper supporting unit and a burner. The upper supporting unit includes pillars and two end elements. Each of the end elements includes a disc connected to an end of each of the pillars, positioning recesses for receiving and hence positioning the ends of the pillars, and at least one aperture. The lower supporting unit is connected to the disc of one of the end elements. The burner is connected to the disc of the remaining end element and includes a fuel pipe extending throughout the apertures of the end elements.

Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of the preferred embodiment referring to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heater according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the heater shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial view of the heater shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is another partial view of the heater shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the heater in another position than shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of an upper end of a pillar of the heater shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 6, a heater sequentially includes a lower supporting unit 1, an upper supporting unit 2 and a burner 3 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The burner 3 is conventional and includes a fuel pipe 31.

The lower supporting unit 1 includes a base 11, a cover 12, supporting strips 13, at least one the abutting elements 14 and a decorative shell 15. The base 11 is preferably made of a metal strip and includes a stepped section 112 and screw holes 114. The stepped section 112 is formed on an upper face of the base 11. The screw holes 114 are made in the upper face of the base 11.

The supporting strips 13 are evenly arranged on the upper face of the base 11. Screws (not numbered) are inserted in the screw holes 114 of the base 11 through apertures (not numbered) made in the supporting strips 13 so that the supporting strips 13 are connected to the base 11. The supporting strips 13 together define a space large enough for receiving a fuel tank P.

The cover 12 is secured to the supporting strips 13, and includes an aperture 122 and screw holes 124. The aperture 122 and the screw holes 124 extend throughout the cover 12. The fuel pipe 31 of the burner 3 extends throughout the aperture 122. The cover 12 is connected to the supporting strips 13 by inserting screws (not numbered) in the screw holes 124 of the cover 12 through apertures (not numbered) made in the supporting strips 13.

At least one of the supporting strips 13 is provided with an abutting element 14. Preferably, each of the supporting strips 13 is provided with an abutting element 14. The abutting elements 14 can be pins or threaded bolts for example.

The decorative shell 15 includes a space 152 and a slot 154. The space 152 axially extends throughout the decorative shell 15. The slot 154 extends throughout a lateral portion of the decorative shell 15. The slot 154 is in communication with the space 152. Thus, the slot 154 allows access to the space 152.

The decorative shell 15 is supported on the base 11 and the abutting elements 14. The decorative shell 15 includes a lower edge supported on the stepped section 112 of the base 11. Each of the supporting strips 13 includes an upper end located out of the space 152. The cover 12 is inserted in the axil opening 152 and connected by screws (not numbered) to the upper ends of the supporting strips 13.

The upper supporting unit 2 is connected to both of the lower supporting unit 1 and the burner 3. The upper supporting unit 2 includes pillars 21 and two end elements 22. Each of the pillars 21 is a tube made of a metal strip and includes two ends respectively connected to the end elements 22. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 7, ribs 212 are longitudinally formed on an internal face of each of the pillars 21.

The end elements 22 are identical to each other. Each of the end elements 22 includes a disc 221, a periphery 222, positioning recesses 223, at least one aperture 224 and apertures 225. The disc 221 is shaped corresponding to the bottom of the burner 3 and the top of the cover 12. The area of the disc 221 is larger than that of the bottom of the burner 3 and that of the top of the cover 12. The periphery 222 extends perpendicularly from and around the disc 221. The positioning recesses 223 are made in the disc 221 parallel to the periphery 222. The positioning recesses 223 are shaped corresponding to the ends of the pillars 21. The aperture 224 is located in one of the positioning recesses 223. Each of the apertures 225 is located between two adjacent ones of the positioning recesses 223.

However, the end elements 22 will be respectively referred to as the upper end element 22 and the lower end element 22 for convenience of the following description. The upper end element 22 is inverted relative to the lower end element 22 when they are connected to the pillars 21.

The fuel pipe 31 of the burner 3 extends throughout the aperture 224 of each of the upper and lower end elements 22. The upper end element 22 and the burner 3 are connected to the upper ends of the pillars 21 by inserting screws (not numbered) in upper ends of the ribs 212 of the pillars 22 via the apertures 225 of the upper end element 22 and apertures (not numbered) in a bottom plate (not numbered) of the burner 3. The lower end element 22 and the lower supporting unit 1 are connected to the lower ends of the pillars 21 by inserting screws (not numbered) in lower ends of the ribs 212 of the pillars 22 through the apertures 225 of the lower end element 22 and the cover 12.

The operation and advantages of the heater will be described. Firstly, the decorative shell 15 is lifted along the upper supporting unit 2. The decorative shell 15 is tilted after it is raised higher than the abutting elements 14. The lower edge of the decorative shell 15 is placed on one of the abutting elements 14 and hence kept in position.

Now, the fuel tank P can be inserted in the space defined by the supporting strips 13 through a gap between any two adjacent ones of the supporting strips 13. An end of the fuel pipe 31 is connected to the fuel tank P, and another end of the fuel pipe 31 is connected to the burner 3. The fuel pipe 31 extends throughout the aperture 122 of the cover 12, the aperture 224 of the lower end element 22, one of the pillars 21, the aperture 224 of the upper end element 22 and an aperture (not numbered) made in the bottom plate of the burner 3.

To actuate the burner 3, a user reaches the fuel tank P, which is inserted in the space 152, through the slot 154. Then, the user opens the fuel tank P to allow fuel to enter the burner 3 from the fuel tank P via the fuel pipe 31. Finally, the user operates the burner 3 to ignite the fuel.

In the heater, the upper supporting unit 2 substantially covers the bottom plate of the burner 3 so that diameters of the lower supporting unit 1, the upper supporting unit 2, and the burner 3 are substantially identical to one another. Thus, the burner 3 is stably supported on the upper supporting unit 2 which is in turn stably supported on the lower supporting unit 1. Hence, risks of the heater falling are rendered low.

The present invention has been described via illustration of the preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the preferred embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the preferred embodiment shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims. 

1. A heater comprising: an upper supporting unit (2) comprising pillars (21) and two end elements (22) each comprising a disc (221) connected to an end of each of the pillars (21), positioning recesses (223) for receiving and hence positioning the ends of the pillars (21), and at least one aperture (224); a lower supporting unit (1) connected to the disc (221) of one of the end elements (21); and a burner (3) connected to the disc (221) of the remaining end element (21) and provided with a fuel pipe (31) extending throughout the apertures (224) of the end elements (22).
 2. The heater according to claim 1, wherein each of the pillars (21) comprises at least one rib (212) extending longitudinally thereon, and the disc (221) of each of the end elements (22) is connected to an end of the rib (212) of each of the pillars (21).
 3. The heater according to claim 2, wherein each of the pillars (21) is a tube and the fuel pipe (31) extends throughout one of the pillars (21).
 4. The heater according to claim 1, wherein the lower supporting unit comprises supporting strips (13), a base (11) connected to a lower end of each of the supporting strips (13), a cover (12) connected to an upper end of each of the supporting strips (13), and a decorative shell (15) detachably supported on the supporting strips (13) around the cover (12).
 5. The heater according to claim 2, wherein the decorative shell (15) includes a space (152) for receiving the cover (12), the supporting strips (13) and a fuel tank (P).
 6. The heater according to claim 5, wherein the decorative shell (15) further includes a slot (154) in communication with the space (152) to allow access to the tank (P).
 7. The heater according to claim 4, wherein the base (11) further comprises a stepped section (112) inserted in the space (152) of the decorative shell (15).
 8. The heater according to claim 4, wherein the cover (12) comprises an aperture (122) through which the fuel pipe (31) extends into the upper supporting unit (2) from the lower supporting unit (1).
 9. The heater according to claim 4, wherein the lower supporting unit (1) further comprises at least one abutting element (14) connected to one of the abutting elements (13) and adapted for supporting the decorative shell (15) in a raised position relative to the base (11). 